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Hope & UnionFrom New York Magazine
"Sigrid Benedetti has won a loyal local following with her Williamsburg cafe's homey vibe and excellent pastries, from jumbo cookies and fudgy brownies to rich, flaky banana-chocolate turnovers and dark-chocolate cupcakes with burnt-marshmallow frosting. She even bakes the brioche and focaccia she uses for hefty made-to-order sandwiches like Italian tuna and Dijon egg salad. Custom-order cakes too. And now she's expanded the cafe into a full-fledged (if minuscule) restaurant, with a rear dining room, a bar, and a garden—plus a snacky menu of cured meats, cheeses, salads, and house-cured fish."
Comments
I dream about the goat cheese and spinach omelet long after I've eaten here.
Fantastic place. Warm atmosphere, excellent service. The carrot cake cupcakes are lovely as well.
Posted by: Laura | April 8, 2005 03:08 PM
This is a solid, yummy place to eat. I mostly eat lunch, but bbq night, brunch, and dinner are all great, and the pastries are so well done. Everything is made well, with quality ingredients and care. The owners are so nice. Its just a nice spot.
Posted by: matt | July 18, 2005 07:31 PM
yes. the mozzarella-pesto-tomato sandwich is the tits. very nice people. yes.
Posted by: jeffrey | October 3, 2005 07:05 AM
I only wish they had better potatos and toast for brunch. Great coffee/chai and the outside is real nice. Low key for those mellow mornings when you just want good food and no 'scene'.
Posted by: brad | February 6, 2006 02:33 AM
I've only been to the coffee shop part, but I love this place. It is really chill and not at all pretentious--you can stay for hours and no one cares at all. A couple places to plug in your laptop (I have found this to be difficult at some W'burg coffeeshops). I think it is a bit cheaper than some of the other joints also. The staff have always been super friendly If you happen to be around at closing, you might even score some free pastries.
Posted by: loony bin | February 21, 2006 05:06 AM
I LOVE Hope and Union. I've honestly never eatern anything there that I didn't like. All of their baked goods are amazing and delicious. You can tell that they are made with love. The breakfast and coffee are also great, too. But the icing on the cake is that the people that work there are totally cool and down to earth, not pretentious hipster assholes. Hope and Union rules!
Posted by: Rachel | February 22, 2006 02:55 PM
I've been here for brunch a couple times. The red flannel hash was really tasty!
Their sandwiches are a great value; cheap, yummy and filling with quality ingredients.
Posted by: curtyv | April 20, 2006 04:56 PM
I seriously don't know what happened to this place. I used to love it. Now it sucks. Are they under new ownership or something??
First of all, they got rid of their good pasta specials and replaced it with a really crappy new menu that is completely overpriced. My pasta dish literally tasted like it had nothing on it. I mean, it was like a splash of olive oil and some pasta water. And the serving was way smaller than it used to be. The baked good are obviously also being baked by someone else, also. They're not the same, and definitely not as good.
I hate to say this because I used to love this place, but it sucks now. Except for the coffe. Save yourself the time and go somewhere else.
Posted by: Jen | May 19, 2006 06:27 PM
This place has the best little garden in the back. great brunch too. I am generally very wary about mussels but I took a risk and they were good. The servings are GINORMOUS so be prepared.
Posted by: Stacy Briscoe | May 22, 2006 07:03 PM
Brunch potatos, suck. Work on that one. And uh-oh, Im sorry to say, that the baked items have gone down the toilet, too. What a bummer, I really used to like this place. Now I have cheeks, where the cakes are NOT over baked and dry.
Posted by: noodles | June 6, 2006 09:02 PM
What happened to the Red Velvet Cupcakes?? They used to be so good that I'd buy them for friends' birthdays. They're not even close to being good anymore. I can make better ones at home. What happened??!
Posted by: Paula | June 13, 2006 05:07 PM
Edmonton dominated the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night and the 4-0 margin in Game 6 makes it hard to imagine the Oilers not hoisting hockey's Holy Grail above their heads in less than 48 hours. And it would not come as any shock to see defenseman Chris Pronger, who had another 31-minute night, take the honors for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.
Posted by: alfrealfda | June 20, 2006 11:34 PM
I moved out of the neighborhood and went to Hope and Union while visiting recently. It used to be my favorite, now it's the worst ever. Ugh, so gross!! The food and bakery items suck now. But I still like the coffee.
Posted by: Lisa D | July 25, 2006 08:33 PM
i've mentioned this in another review, but i have resorted to judging the service of williamsburg restaurants by how well they treat my parents when they come into town (who are clearly NOT hipster types).
at hope and union, my mom requested (very sweetly) that her (ice cold) decaf coffee be heated up, and was rudely snapped at by our waiter. fuck that.
i won't be going back. plus, our brunch was not so good food-wise, either. the potatoes were cold, and i've made better eggs benedict myself.
Posted by: miss_messaround | August 12, 2006 08:33 PM